Operating mechanism for knitting machines



Patented Nov. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Application October 26, 1932, Serial No. 639,634 In Great Britain November 3, 1931 6 Claims.

' of this kind are notably to be found in connection with warp knitting machines adapted to work at high speed, and though the present invention is applicable to knitting machines generally, the following description is more particularly concerned with the application of the invention to warp knitting machines.

According to the invention a knitting machine comprises a series of knitting elements, cam follower means in connection with said series, and a cam having two surfaces adapted to engage said cam follower means and to transmit motion positively in opposite directions respectively to the series of elements, said cam surfaces being simultaneously in engagement with said follower means,so as to effect the motion and reversal of motion of the knitting elements substantially without backlash.

An arrangement which has the advantage that there is no tendency or necessity for the follower roller to have to reverse its direction of movement during rotation of the cam consists in two follower rollers each engaging separate cam surfaces, so formed that contact is always maintained between each surface and its corresponding roller. Thus, no matterwhich of the followers is at any moment receiving the driving effort from its cam (there being, of course, at least two reversals of movement in each rotation of the cam), the rollers always rotate in the same direction. Consequently, wear on the rollers or the cam faces is reduced to a practically negligible amount.

In order to take up the effect of any wear which may occur in the cam and follower mechanism though this wear may be reduced to a. very small quantity by a suitably designed cam surface and arrangement of roller mounting, one or both rollers may be adjustably mounted. This adjustment may also be utilized to vary the field of traverse of the part operated without affecting the extent of the traverse. Thus, one roller can be withdrawn from its cam somewhat and the other pushed towards its cam, so as to alter the position of the camfollower lever relative to the .lever 16.

cam. The extent of the traverse, of course, remains unaltered, as does the timing of the movement effected by the cam. The cam followers may be tapered, the cam surfaces being appropriately formed to suit the tapered shape of the roller, and preferably to give a line contact with the roller. The cam surfaces may either be formed in a member or members projecting from the periphery of a drum, or in a member or members extending endwise from the face of a rotatable plate.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, but it is to be understood that this descrip-- tion is given by way of example only and is in no respect limitative.

Figure 1 shows a view of a cam and follower mechanism according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows another view in part section of the mechanism shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows somewhat different form of the cam mechanism;

Figure 4 is a detail of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 shows one application of the cam mechanism illustrated in Figure 1 to a warpso knitting machine.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, an annular cam 8 is mounted on one face of a plate 9 which is secured to a'cam shaft 10 by means of a set screw 11. cam 8 are two cam rollers 14, 15 carried by a lever 16. The cam plate 9 being secured to the shaft 10, the cam 8 is driven by the rotation of the shaft l0, and, being at a variable distance from the shaft (as may be seen from Figure 5) gives motion to the cam rollers 14, 15 and the The butt end 1'7 of the lever is secured by lock nuts 18 and holds the cam rollers thereon.

The cam rollers 14, 15 are mounted on spindles retain the rollers and allow them to rotate freely.

The spindles 19 pass through blocks 21 and washers 22 which are clamped together by means of lock nuts 23 on the end of the spindles 19. Each of the spindles 19 is secured in its block 21 by means of a pin 24 which prevents rotation of the spindle.

The block 21 and the washer 22 fit intoa slot 25 between the main part of the lever 16 and the butt 1'7 and are adjusted by means of a screw 27 passing through the side of the butt 1'? and acting on the face of the block 21. By means of the adjusting screws 27 wear of the cam rollers 14, 15 or of the cam 8 can be readily taken up, and in addition angular adjustment of the position of Acting on the opposite sides 12, 13 of the mit of adjustment by means of the screws 27 and tightened after adjustment. The cam rollers 14, 15 rotate on their spindles 19, which are lubricated by means of oil channels 30, 31, fed by means of oil pipes 32 carried by the lever 16.

In Figure 2 a further cam 33 is shown on the side of the cam plate 9 opposite to the cam 8, the cam 33 operatingif desired a similar lever to the lever 16 illustrated. Such an arrangement is particularly convenient in connection with the mechanism described in U. S. applications S. Nos. 639,633 and 639,638 both filed 0ct.'26, 1932. in which knitting parts, e. g. needles, sinkers or guides operated by a camlike the cam 8 on one side of the cam plate 9 and balanced by a balance weight similarly operated by means of a cam such as the cam 33 on the other side of the cam plate.. The two cams 8, 33 being secured to the common plate 9, one setting of the plate on the cam shaft suffices to have the two c'am systems fixed in correct timing relation.

' Figures 3 and 4 illustrate another form of cam mechanism according to the present invention, this mechanism being directly applicable to warpknitting machines for the purpose of lapping the thread guides across the needles in the manner described in U. S. application S. No. 639,631 filed Oct. 26, 1932. A cam 36 mounted on a rotating shaft 37 engages with two cam rollers 38, 39 mounted on spindles 40. On a pivot 42 is carried a follower arm 43 having an enlargement 44 at its free end, the spindle 40 of the cam roller 38 being fixed directly in the enlargement 44 while the spindle 40 of the cam roller 39 is carried in a block 46 sliding in a slot 45 in the enlargement 44 and capable of adjustment to take up wear by means of a screw 47 and lock nuts 48, 49.

-are tapered and act upon opposite sides 55, 56 of the cam 36, giving line contact and reduced tendency to wear.

InFigure 5 the application-of a cam mechanism of the kind described with reference to Figure 1 for the purpose of effecting the motion of thread guides between the needles is illustrated.

Thread guides '60 are operated'from the lever 16 which is provided with an extension 61 having an adjustable pivot 62. A rod 63 is secured atone end of the adjustable pivot 62 and at the other to a pivot 64 on the tail of an oscillating bracket 65 which carries, by means of flat springs 67, a guide bar 68 on which the guides 60 are mounted. The lever 16 isprovided with cam roller mechanism 'as described with reference to Figure 1 which is acted upon by the cam 8 fixed onthe face of the cam plate 9 rotated on the shaft 10. The guides 60 are shown in their relationship to the presser 71, the sinkers '12 and the needles 73,

which parts may alsoconveniently be operated by cam mechanisms of a'simil'ar kind, preferably by cams mounted on the same cam shaft 10,- as is described in application No. 639,638, filed Oct. 26,

' sion as regards both extent and timing. For this seldom-surfaces being simultaneouslyin en- 1932. It will be seen that the guides 60, presser 71, sinker '12 and needles 73 are disposed together in a very small space and carry out movements of a very small extent. The movement of the guides 60 for example, may be judged by the position of the lever 16 which is shown in its forward position, the rearward position being indicated in dotted lines- It is necessary therefore'that these small movements should be executed with precipurpose the cam mechanism according to the invention is particularly well adapted. Further, the substantial form of the cam proper and the large operating surface enable the cam profile, to be accuratelyv formed so that the knitting elements can be brought to their correct positions at relatively low velocities thus reducing the accelerations and retardations of these parts and the magnitude of the operating forces. In this way the forces involved are kept torelatively low amount, with consequent reduction of wear and vibration.

What we claim and desire to claim by Letters Patent is:- a

1. A warp knitting machine, comprising a series of knitting elements, cam follower means in connection with said series, a cam having two cam surfaces adapted toengage said cam follower means and to transmit motion positively in opposite directions respectively to the series of elements, said' cam surfaces being simultaneously in engagement with said follower means, so as to effect the motionand reversal of motion of the knitting elements substantially without backlash, and means for adjusting the position of said.- follower means with respect to said surfaces, so as to adjust the field of motion of said knitting elements, and to take up wear.

2. A warp knitting machine, comprising a series of knitting elements, cam follower means in connection with said series, a cam having two cam surfaces adapted to engage said cam follower means and to transmit motion positively in opposite directions respectively to the series of elements, said cam surfaces being simultaneously 120 in engagement with said follower means, so as to effect the motion and reversal of motion of the knitting elements substantially without backlash, and means for adjusting the position of at least one of said follower means with respect to its cam 125.

surface to ensure simultaneous contact of the cam followers and their respective cam surface.

3. A 'warp knitting machine, comprising a series of knitting elements, cam follower means in connection with said series, a cam having two cam'surfaces adapted to make rolling line contact with said cam follower means and to transmit motion positively in opposite directions re-' spectively to the series of elements, said cam surfaces being simultaneously in engagement with said follower means, so as to effect the motion and reversal of motion of the knitting elements substantially without backlash, and means for adjusting the position of at least one of said follower means .with respect to its cam surface to ensure simultaneous contact of the cam followers and their respective camsurface.

4. A warp knitting machine, comprising a series of knitting elements, coned cam follower means in connection with said series, and a cam having two cam surfaces adapted to make rolling line contact with said coned cam follower means and to transmit motion positively in opposite directionsrespectively to the series of elements, 0

gagement with said follower means, so as to effect the motion and reversal of motion of the knitting elements substantially without backlash, and means for adjusting the position of at least one of said follower means with respect to its cam sur-- face-to ensure simultaneous contact of the cam followers and their respective cam surface.

5. A warp knitting machine, comprising a series of knitting elements, a cam follower lever in connection with said series, a cam follower mounted on said lever, an axis for said lever, a cam shaft substantially at right angles to the axis and the length of said lever, a cam mounted on said shaft, said cam having two cam surfaces adapted to engage said cam follower means and to transmit motion positively in opposite directions respectively to the series of elements, said cam surfaces being simultaneously in engagement with said follower means, so as to effect the motion and reversal of motion of the knitting elements substantially without backlash, means for adjusting the position of at least one of said follower means with respect to its cam surface to ensure simultaneous contact of the cam follower and their respective cam surface, and connecting means between said follower lever and the series of knitting elements, adapted to permit said elements to move in a direction other than that imposed by said cam and follower.

6. A warp knitting machine, comprising a plurality of series of knitting elements, cam follower means in connection with each of said series, a cam shaft, a cam in connection with each series mounted on said shaft, said cam having two cam surfaces adapted to engage said cam follower means and to transmit motion positively in opposite directions respectively to the series of 81E! ments, said cam surfaces being simultaneously in engagement with said follower means, so as to' effect the motion and reversal of motion of the knitting elements substantially without backlash,

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